Databases
Storm Events
From deadline to enterprise, the database of storm events can provide punch to weather stories. Available through the IRE and NICAR Database Library, it's the official U.S. government database of storm events around the country, covering 1950 through February 2005. In addition to assisting coverage of disasters on deadline, the database can yield enterprise stories, such as determining the most costly weather events to have hit your area. With the latitudes and longitudes, mapping some of the data is also possible. Some of the events tracked: tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, droughts, snowstorms, flash floods, hail, wild/forest fires, temperature extremes, strong winds, fog and avalanches. Fields in the database include: date and time the storm event began; event type; states and counties hit; property and crop damage; injuries and fatalities.
Federal assistance
After every disaster, the federal government
provides assistance money. In a given fiscal year, that amounts to millions. With this database you will be able to
track federal assistance — grants, loans or insurance — and see where and how much money the government is obligating to organizations and projects.
SBA disaster loans
The Small Business Administration is a big player in assisting the owners of homes and businesses after a declared disaster. The data include loans since 1980 and are current through September 2005. The database includes such information as the individuals' name or company name, the mailing address, a code for the type of disaster that occurred, the date the disaster loan was approved for an SBA guarantee, the amount of the loan, and, for businesses, whether the loan was fully paid or charged off (went bad). The main table contains more than 750,000 records.
National Bridge Inventory
The National Bridge Inventory database can help a journalist identify potentially problem bridges that might be especially prone to earthquake damage. This dataset includes structural evaluations and information for bridges throughout the United States. The inspection reports include important criteria necessary for evaluating the condition of bridges as well as specific details relating to the location, age and ownership or each bridge. (See more bridge safety resources.)
National Inventory of Dams
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams, from 1993-2002, has information on dam inspection, ownership and age. The agency often classifies dams as "high hazard," meaning that if a dam fails, people are threatened downstream because of residential or commercial development. It also indicates whether the dam owner has an emergency action plan, in case disaster does occur. The data can trace the recent history of a dam and generate a starting point for a story that can impact public safety.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System
This database, maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, contains general information on sites across the nation and U.S. territories including location, status, contaminants and actions taken.
Toxics Release Inventory
This data consists of information about on- and off-site releases of chemicals and other waste management activities reported annually by industries, including federal facilities.
Individual Contract Action Reports
Search this data from the Government Services Agency for federal contracts awarded to a particular business: a great place to start when looking at contracts awarded to companies in your area, or work being performed there. This could be relevant as FEMA and other agencies contract with local businesses in clean up and repair.
Federal Audit Clearinghouse Database
The Single Audit database is a great tool for journalists to examine local nonprofits and state or local government agencies that receive substantial assistance from the federal government.
To order the data, call the Database Library at 573-884-7711 or download an order form.
Stories
To order stories from the IRE Resource Center, send e-mail to rescntr@ire.org or call us at 573-882-3364.
Story #23664: This investigation by WSYX-TV revealed that dozens of Franklin County, Ohio tornado sirens were in disrepair due to human error. The investigation alerted area residents that the majority of the county's tornado sirens were not fully functional, some not working at all.
Story #22863: WTHR-TV (Indianapolis, IN) report that nearly 200,000 people, and many schools and parks, in a nine-county area of Indiana cannot be warned about tornadoes because they are not within the range of the tornado sirens. The WTHR team found that the sirens failed to activate thousands of times, many broken beyond repair, and those in charge of maintaining the sirens have avoided making the necessary repairs.
Story #22701: Sarah Okeson looked at how adequately Peoria County was covered by tornado sirens. She found that the sirens covered census blocks for all but about 5,400 people in the country, or about three percent of Peoria County residents.
Story #22118: This investigation by Matt Reed and John Kelly of Florida Today, done in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, shows that Brevard County, Florida is also unprepared to handle a similar natural disaster. "Like New Orleans, tens of thousands of seniors, poor people and families with no cars live in neighborhoods likely to be overcome by storm surge or flooded rivers in a powerful hurricane..."
Story #21481: This investigation began with the deaths of sixteen people who were killed when heavy rains caused an avalanche of mud and rock in the San Bernadino Mountains. The report found that corrupt politicians carelessly put thousands of lives at risk by pushing for development in areas prone to floods and fires. The report looks at the corrupt political history that resulted in the current situation, as well as potential problems that could occur in the future. As more and more people move into the San Bernadino-Riverside area, the risk of future disasters becomes even greater.
Story #21329: Ian Demsky of the Tennessean performs an analysis of tornado warning sirens in the metropolis area. What he found was that, despite the risks, many parts of nearby Davidson County are unable to hear the warnings. Some emergency officials were quoted as saying that the warning sirens are only meant to warn those outside, not those within their homes.
Story #21319:
The Center for Government Studies investigated the role of floodplain development,
flood prediction and inter-agency coordination in natural disaster preparedness.
They uncover a situation in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., where construction of two public
schools moved forward regardless of warnings from state emergency managers who
cautioned of inadequate evacuation plans in the event of flood-related disasters.
They also exposed flaws in the reasoning used by the Army Corps of Engineers
to argue that flood risk was minimal.
Story #19308: The (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Press Democrat found "$6 million dollars in federal grants intended to protect homes along the Russian River from flooding has been spent, in large part, on houses least in danger of flooding and on property owners least in need of money." (2002)
Story #18389: Discover reports on the difficulties that modern meteorologists still face in predicting the weather. The story points to several examples of deadly storms in the recent decade, which have not been predicted until few minutes before they hit. The article reveals that weather service boasts of using "numerical weather modeling," said to be the best scientific achievement of the 20th century, but doesn't track the accuracy of three-day forecasts.
Story #16808: In March 2000, two tornadoes hit the Fort Worth, Texas, area, killing five people and causing an estimated $450 million in damage. President Clinton declared the area a national disaster, allowing victims to apply for federal assistance. But less than 20 percent of those who sought loans from the SBA and the Federal Emergency Management Area obtained them, according to an analysis by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Those who needed help the most received the least, the paper found.
Story #16655: Also in 2000, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported how the federal government has used taxpayer dollars to subsidize an unprecedented construction boom along America's shores, on very risky real estate. The paper analyzed disaster payments and municipal tax rates to show that most money goes to some of the wealthiest towns in the nation. Taxpayers are footing the bill to repair roads, buildings, utilities — even golf courses and marinas — and other things public officials chose not to insure.
Story #15193: An outbreak of seven killer tornadoes struck the Orlando area in February 1998, killing 42 people. The disaster led to an Orlando Sentinel investigation into mobile home and portable classroom safety. An examination found that thousands of these box-like structures are not properly anchored to the ground, leaving them vulnerable to high winds.
Story #14380: The federal government provided more than $1 billion in disaster relief to North Carolina after Hurricane Fran hit in 1996. The next year, The News & Observer of Raleigh disclosed how millions of those dollars were waste on foolish projects along North Carolina's fragile coastline. Money went to rebuild beachfront homes, fishing piers and other buildings likely to wash away again when the next big storm blows through.
Story #10416: American Prospect describes how spending to rebuild after disasters has exactly the same economic effect as economic stimulus packages meant to jump-start the economy; shows how politicians who decried the latter as pork barrel politics and unworkable later took credit when the former had exactly the same results that they denied would follow; focuses on the L.A. earthquake in 1994 but mentions other disasters as well.
Be sure to search Extra! Extra! for recent stories related to weather, disasters and the environment
Search for more stories in IRE's Resource Center.
Tipsheets
To order tipsheets from the IRE Resource Center, send e-mail to rescntr@ire.org or call us at 573-882-3364.
Tipsheet #2700
Sarah Okeson explains how she used mapping techniques to report on Peoria County's preparedness for tornadoes after one hit South Pekin, a small village near Peoria, IL. She explains how she used a GPS device, how to download waypoints, and also gives a list of helpful Web sites that were used for the story.
Tipsheet #2649
This tipsheet is comprised of slides from Nixon's power point presentation on covering natural disasters. The slides cover information about SBA disaster loans, federal contracts and other data. Nixon included examples of recent stories that used each type of data.
Tipsheet #2613
This tipsheet is a good guide to investigating the government aid that generally follows large natural disasters. Specifically, John Maines discusses his own experience investigating FEMA after Hurricane Katrina. He recommends various websites as a good starting point, and then offers advice for more detailed investigations. For example, Maines suggests comparing the FEMA database of funeral-related expenses to the number of deaths listed by the local medical examiner.
Tipsheet #2612
John Maines offers many suggestions for incorporating CAR into fast-paced disaster investigations. For instance, he suggests using mapping to show the extent of damage in certain areas or neighborhoods. Maines also discusses some of the surprises that reporters for the Sun Sentinel faced after Hurricane Wilma, and how in the future journalists can anticipate similar surprises and work around them.
Tipsheet #2433
This tipsheet describes how IRE Award finalist authors Sally Kestin and Megan
O'Matz of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel gathered information for their
story "Cashing in on Disaster." They give hints as to what questions
to ask and what money to follow when sorting through information after a storm.
For those ordering through snail-mail, this tipsheet includes the 55-page story
it references.
Tipsheet #2284
The four hurricanes that battered Florida in 2004 made for one of the most remarkable,
memorable, and costly hurricane seasons in history. John Maines of the South
Florida Sun-Sentinel has suggestions and resources for reporters covering
emergency situations, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to private
companies who provide images of destruction for free.
Tipsheet #2235
Gil Gaul's tipsheet outlines approaches to analyzing Federal Emergency Management
Administration records to show "how the breathless coverage of storms greases
the skids for disaster declarations." Tips include tracking how, where
and to whom FEMA dollars are allocated following a disaster, whether National
Flood Insurance Program premiums are covering expenses, and who are receiving
Small Business Administration loans following a disaster.
Tipsheet #186
"Bibliography of Flood Sources" details the history of and sources
used for a story on the failure of the National Flood Insurance Program and
the Federal Emergency Management Agency; includes phone numbers for sources
in Congress and in FEMA, as well as many non-governmental sources.
Environment
Tipsheet #1952
John McQuaid of the Times-Picayune offers many useful federal sources
for reporters working on the environmental beat, specifically focusing on fishing,
invasive species, environmental justice, hurricanes and other natural disasters,
and chemicals.
Charities
Tipsheet #2348
This tipsheet specifically covers how to report on charities after a disaster.
It offers tips such as making connections at local charities and checking in
with churches. The tipsheet also offers some more general tips advice like what
forms to request and resources to use as background information.
Tipsheet #2264
Cheryl Phillips of The Seattle Times takes a look at how to best investigate
nonprofit organizations, from various documents and researching background information.
She also lists experts that may have insight and gives other reporting tips.
Tipsheet #2182
This tipsheet offers various sources that could aid journalists in investigating
nonprofit organizations. Laura Lorek of the San Antonio Express News specifically mentions Guidestar, the Better Business Bureau and several other
Web sites. The tipsheet includes information about gaining access to the Web
sites, as well as what journalists might expect to find at each one. She also
explains some of the technical information about nonprofits, such as how they
file for taxes.
Tipsheet #1606
This tipsheet lists the most important documents reporters need to research
when covering charities and nonprofits. Those include 990 forms, bond prospectuses,
government contracts and audits by watchdog groups.
Tipsheet #1398
Included in this tipsheet is the basics of nonprofit reporting, what's in an
IRE 990 form, the difference between a public charity and a foundation, what
forms different organizations file, a summary of the new disclosure rules and
where to find the state charity offices. Also attached are the different IRS
categories of nonprofits, and what kind of registration is required in each
state.
Mapping
Tipsheet #2160
In this tipsheet, Matthew Waite of the St. Petersburg Times describes
the function and details of a geodatabase - available in ArcGIS 8 or 9. Included
are step-by-step instructions for creating a geodatabase.
Tipsheet #1824
Learning to use GIS or mapping software can be intimidating at first. The initial
difficulties are worth the effort though, as Jennifer LaFleur explains in this
good beginner tipsheet. She offers story examples that used mapping and tips
and hints on getting started.)
Tipsheet #1376
Overlaying census with other kinds of data will yield stories, just as mapping
software and maps will help reporters to better show trends and illustrate the
stories. Included here are helpful Web sites, books, and what kinds of stories
are aided by maps.
Infrastructure
Tipsheet #2424
Lee Davidson of the Deseret Morning News breaks this tipsheet into two
sections: bridges and dams. For each part, he first suggests possible issues
to investigate, and then makes some suggestions on how to proceed. For example,
one of his suggestions for dams is an investigation of whether or not local
dams have emergency action plans in place. The suggestions on how to proceed
include various helpful Web sites, as well as tips on data analysis.
Disaster Coverage
Tipsheet #1232: The 10 best disaster Web sites — from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado. The tipsheet also explains FEMA's various disaster aid programs. From the 2000 IRE Conference.
Tipsheet #773: In "Covering disasters on the Internet," Nora Paul
provides tips on how to find facts and cultivate sources on the Internet when covering a disaster.
Tipsheet #586
This handout provides reporters with some of Josh Meyer's (Los Angeles Times) experiences with covering disasters, and tips for improving disaster coverage. Also included is
on covering disasters.
Tipsheet #244
"Covering the Aftermath of a Disaster" makes suggestions for disaster-coverage, particularly focusing on preparedness; tips are listed under the following categories: Preparing for disaster — the basics, a place to work, communications, other equipment, transportation, assignments and a final word.
Search for more tipsheets in IRE's Resource Center.
IRE Publications
The Investigative Reporter's Handbook, Brant Houston's Computer-Assisted Reporting book and other helpful publications are available from IRE and NICAR.
Uplink articles about disasters:
In the May 2000 issue, Jennifer LaFleur examines geocoding, a mapping software that was used by the San Jose Mercury News to try to predict where damage might occur before being hit by the El Nino storms of 1998.
In the May/June 2002 issue, Tom Torok wrote that Intranets can make complex projects much easier to coordinate for all involved. Torok tell how to set one up and how the intranet he set up at The New York Times made covering the 9/11 disaster much simpler.
IRE Journal articles about disasters:
In the July/August 2002 issue, Norberto Santana Jr. of the San Diego Union Tribune suggests story ideas and tips on how to investigate the American Red Cross. Santana explains how he did his investigation on the San Diego Red Cross chapter. By pressing his Red Cross sources, Santana obtained a copy of a critical audit on the chapter, which revealed how Red Cross officials channeled donations and mishandled the disaster relief for victims of the Alpine fire.
The July/August 2004 issue featured stories about doing investigations off breaking news.
IRE members can search the indexes of The IRE
Journal and Uplink. Back issues of The IRE Journal and Uplink may be purchased for $10 each. There is
an additional $10 user fee for nonmembers. Check with the Resource Center at 573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org for availability.
Web Links
| For
more information, contact: |
Jeff Porter
Database Library Director
IRE and NICAR
E-mail: jeff@ire.org
Voice: 573-882-1982
Fax: 573-882-5431 |
Beth Kopine
Research Director
IRE Resource Center
E-mail: beth@ire.org
Voice: 573-882-6668
Fax: 573-884-8151 |
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